


Kiss Me 'Til You're Drunk

by getpitchslapped



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Implied Smut, Kind-of-but-not-really AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 00:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3999001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getpitchslapped/pseuds/getpitchslapped
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca’s different than Chloe’s usual one-night stands. AUish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 because it came on the radio when I was driving and I lack originality.

It starts halfway through Chloe’s freshman year.

It’s her first frat party. Jen, a senior and leader of the Barden Bellas, snags the group an invite. Chloe makes her way through the crowd, eyes wide, with explicit instructions from Jen to “not fuck anything up”. The music pulsates so loudly it resonates in Chloe’s chest and sends tingling vibrations down through her fingertips. She’s pulling a wary Aubrey through the crowd on the makeshift dance floor in search of the drinks table. It’s her first college party, and she’s going to do it right.

She fumbles with the keg for a moment before someone steps in to help.

Her name is Alyssa, and she’s a junior. Marketing, if Chloe recalls correctly. Alyssa has dark, wavy hair, and the most impressive green eyes Chloe has ever seen. She fills Chloe’s red plastic cup to the brim with cheap-tasting beer and asks her if she wants to find a quieter place to talk. They find a couch in an alcove of a relatively empty room and sit a little bit closer than a friendly distance away from each other. Aubrey has somehow disappeared, and Chloe will later get (and ignore) a text saying she found her way back to their dorm on her own.

Chloe’s not quite sure how it starts. One moment, they’re talking about Alyssa’s marketing research project, shifting slightly closer to each other until their knees touch and Alyssa’s hand rests on top of Chloe’s, lightly tracing patterns on the back of her hand.

The next, they’re kissing.

And then, Alyssa’s tugging Chloe towards the nearest bathroom and slamming the door shut behind them.

The next morning, Chloe wakes up with a fuzzy memory, a massive headache, and a neck decorated in small purple marks.

Aubrey just shakes her head.

* * *

It happens again seven weeks later. Not with Alyssa (Chloe hasn’t spoken to her since she saw her sticking her tongue down the throat of some guy on the baseball team out on the quad) but with Sarah, a senior in high school, who’s at Barden visiting her brother for the weekend. Sarah has unnaturally blond hair and tastes like cinnamon gum. They meet at a party (Jen, for all of her bitchy tendencies, seems to have a lot of party-throwing friends). The novelty of being underage yet having access to an abundance of booze has yet to wear off on either of them, so they drink their fill and then grab a couple of beers for the road back to Chloe’s dorm room.

In the early hours of the next morning Aubrey, who had been pulling an all-nighter at the library, is nearly run over by Sarah, a pair of heels dangling from her fingers, in the hall.

Aubrey sighs and places a bottle of Advil next to Chloe’s bed for when she wakes up.

* * *

It doesn’t end there, though.

Chloe burns through most of the female members of the Gay-Straight Alliance before she meets Haley at the end of her junior year. They actually don’t meet at a party—Chloe catches Haley fumbling with the controls on the treadmill at the gym and stops to help. Haley, a senior, is one of the most striking girls Chloe’s ever seen; she has shiny, wavy brown hair, steel-blue eyes, and a peace sign tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. They strike up a conversation about their workouts and Chloe leaves the gym that day with Haley’s number scribbled onto the palm of her hand and a smile on her face.

Two days later, they meet up for drinks (at an actual bar, because Chloe’s finally 21) and after an hour or so Haley grabs her hand and kisses her—short, hard, and desperate. She tells Chloe that her parents are devout Catholics and staunchly opposed to homosexuality and then starts crying.

Haley, it proves, is a very weepy drunk.

The only thing Chloe can think to do is hug Haley hard, stroking her hair, and doesn’t object when their lips meet again and they somehow make their way to Haley’s apartment.

When they wake up the next morning, Haley panics, clutching her shirt to her bare chest and swearing Chloe to secrecy.

She apologizes, and says it was a one-time thing, but turns up on the doorstep of Chloe and Aubrey’s shared apartment four days later with a bottle of tequila.

It happens again. And again. Until it becomes a “thing”: Haley, usually tipsy, backing Chloe onto the nearest surface, lips attached to skin.

But Haley never stays in the morning.

She graduates three weeks later and moves to Virginia with a promise to keep in touch.

Aubrey’s not surprised when Chloe doesn’t hear from her again.

* * *

This year is going to be different. Senior year. Study hard, party less, win ICCAs. Not necessarily no distractions—because no distractions equals no fun—but  _fewer_  distractions

But damn it, Chloe’s distracted.

It’s a Friday night and that’s as good an excuse as any to have a party. It’s at the Treblemakers’ fraternity-style house and although a cappella season hasn’t officially started yet, the house is packed with kids from all of the groups (and a lot of kids who don’t sing, too). Aubrey had refused to go, calling the house “the Douchecastle” and switching on the TV, signaling the end of the conversation.

So Chloe takes a couple of shots by herself and pushes into the middle of the throng of dancing, sweaty bodies. She dances with a couple of guys and tosses suggestive winks to a few girls before her feet start to hurt. Spotting a couch in a corner of the room, she stumbles out of the crowd, takes another couple of shots, and plops down on the black leather, breathless.

There’s a girl sitting on the other end of the couch, eyeing Chloe with a raised eyebrow and a beer bottle in her left hand. She’s tiny, with narrow shoulders and delicate fingers that tap out a sporadic rhythm against the arm of the couch. Her eyes are a grey-blue and outlined in black, and Chloe spots a grasshopper tattoo on the inside of her left wrist when she pushes a lock of brown hair off of her forehead. She seems vaguely familiar, and Chloe is inexplicably intrigued.

“I have a bug tattoo,” Chloe says, extending her right arm for the girl to see. The girl raises her other eyebrow to meet the first, and nods slowly.

“You know what they say about girls with bug tattoos, right?” the girl says with a self-assured smirk and shifts closer to Chloe. Chloe furrows her brow in confusion and the girl leans in conspiratorially, her breath hot on Chloe’s cheek. “They’re fucking  _hot_.”

Chloe laughs lowly. “You have a way with words.”

“It’s worked for me in the past,” says the girl as she brushes her thumb over Chloe’s ladybug tattoo, sending shivers up her spine.

“I’m Chloe,” Chloe says, twisting her arm out of Beca’s hand to run her fingertips lightly over the ink-made grasshopper.

“Beca,” says the girl, using her free hand to brush a few strands of red hair off or Chloe’s sweaty forehead. The intimacy of the gesture causes a wanting knot to form low in Chloe’s abdomen. There’s a pause, two of them just looking at each other, until Beca surges forward and presses her lips onto Chloe’s. It’s forceful but not frenzied, and Beca gently runs her tongue along Chloe’s lips until they part and Chloe tangles her fingers in Beca’s wavy hair. Chloe drags her lips to Beca’s jawline, peppering light kisses along it before moving to her pulse point and biting down gently. Beca inches her fingers just under Chloe shirt and traces light circles at her hipbone before reattaching their mouths. They finally part for air, panting, one of Beca’s legs thrown haphazardly across Chloe’s.

“I have a roommate,” Beca says, sliding her hand up Chloe’s thigh.

“Oh,” Chloe says, frowning slightly before a look of realization passes over her face. “ _Oh_.” Beca smiles as Chloe rises from the couch and tugs Beca out of the house.

* * *

When Chloe goes to parties, Aubrey tries to avoid their apartment (Chloe had sworn she wasn’t bringing anyone home this time, but history has a habit of repeating itself). She’s spent the night at a friend’s (from her History of American Law class) dorm room. Aubrey had thought that 11 am would give whomever Chloe had brought home sufficient time to tiptoe out the door, but as she made her way down the hall, a small figure slips out of her apartment door. Her shirt is on inside-out and her hair is mussed and Aubrey can spot the bruises on her neck from down the hall. They make a brief moment of eye contact before the girl turns and scurries towards the stairs. Aubrey lets out a heavy sigh and lets herself into the apartment. She spots Chloe in the kitchen, staring dejectedly into a mug of coffee.

“Chloe?” Aubrey says cautiously, sliding into a chair across from the redhead. Chloe doesn’t respond, but looks up. “Who was that?”

“Beca,” Chloe says, tracing a fingertip along the rim of the mug. “She, uh, had to go to class.” Aubrey reaches across the table and takes Chloe’s hand in hers.

“I thought you weren’t going to do this anymore,” Aubrey says gently. Chloe sighs and presses the heels of her hands into her eyes, shoulders drooping.

“She’s different,” Chloe says as if she’s trying to convince herself of her words. “She just had to go to class.”

“Right,” Aubrey says, groaning internally. “I suppose it’s a coincidence that she looks an awful lot like Haley?”

Chloe’s head snaps up. “She doesn’t look like Haley,” she says defensively. Aubrey puts her fingertips to her temples.

“Just… be careful, okay? Don’t turn this into a Haley thing.”

“I’m not. It’s not. Beca’s not like Haley.” Chloe’s gaze doesn’t quite meet Aubrey’s, her eyes fixed on a point above her head. Aubrey opens her mouth and then closes it again, watching as Chloe absently runs her fingers along the ladybug tattoo on her arm.

* * *

Beca’s not like Haley.

_After much fumbling, Chloe finally fit her key in the lock of her apartment door. Yanking Beca over the threshold, she spun the smaller girl around and backed her against the door, slamming it shut. Chloe hesitated for a moment, her nose an inch away from Beca’s, before kissing her passionately. Beca’s hand traveled up to cup Chloe’s cheek._

Beca’s not like Haley. Haley kissed roughly, desperately, teeth clashing and noses bumping.

_Beca gently slipped Chloe’s coat from her shoulders before shedding her own zip-up. Chloe nudged Beca towards her bedroom, kicking off her shoes in the process. She pushed Beca onto her bed and nipped at her neck, running the flat of her tongue over the red marks. Beca hissed at the pain and pulled her t-shirt over her head. Chloe paused, staring at the exposed porcelain skin, her gaze following the dip of Beca’s hipbones and up to where white turned to simple black cotton. She pulled her own top over her head, discarding it on the floor. Beca’s breath hitched audibly._

_“You’re so fucking beautiful.”_

Beca’s not like Haley. Haley didn’t give Chloe compliments.

_Chloe climbed onto the bed and pulled Beca close, running her fingers up Beca’s sides, causing the brunette to shiver. Their lips met again, deep and sensual. Chloe nudged her thigh in between Beca’s legs. All of a sudden, Beca paused, hands posed to unclasp the back of Chloe’s bra._

_“Are you sure about this?” she asked._

Beca’s not like Haley. Haley never asked.

_As soon as Chloe met Beca’s gaze, she crumbled. Tears fell inexplicably as she shook her head. Beca removed her hands and wrapped her arms around Chloe._

_“I’m sorry,” Chloe sniffled, clinging to the brunette desperately._

_Beca turned so she was looking into Chloe’s eyes. “Don’t apologize.”_

Beca’s not like Haley. They didn’t have sex.


	2. Chapter 2

There’s something that Chloe finds very calming about running. The rhythmic  _slap slap slap_ of her sneakers against the churning rubber of the treadmill, pushing herself to run faster, run farther than she did yesterday, and the sweaty, out-of-breath satisfaction of reaching her goal. Today, the goal was three miles in half an hour. She turns off the treadmill and glances at the screen. Twenty-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds. _Success_. Smiling, Chloe pulls her iPod earphones out of her ears and takes a long drink from her water bottle in between pants. After her breathing evens out, she shoulders her gym bag and heads for the locker room. The tightening of her leg muscles with each step tells her she’ll be sore tomorrow, but it’s worth it. It’s always worth it.

It’s a Friday night, so the gym is relatively empty. Normally, Chloe would be at some nondescript party, dancing away the stress of the week and getting up-close and personal with whatever attractive people she can find.

It’s been a week since Chloe brought Beca home.

She’s been holed up in her apartment, save for attending classes, and finding any excuse she can to spend time in her room with the door shut. Aubrey had, for the most part, withheld any comments with the exception of a sigh or a shake of the head, but when she came home that day to find Chloe on the couch watching The Notebook and crying into a container ofBen & Jerry’s, she breached her silence.

“Chloe,” she said, picking up the TV remote off of the coffee table and pausing the movie, ignoring the redhead’s feeble “Hey!” of indignation. “You need to get your shit together.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” Aubrey said, pointedly glaring at the ring of condensation surrounding the ice cream container on the table.

“Like I’m the first person to eat ice cream and watch this movie,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You’ve been moping around ever since you brought that Haley look-alike home, Chloe,” Aubrey said. Seeing Chloe’s eyes harden at the name, she backpedaled. “You need to get out of this apartment. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m  _fine,_ ” Chloe said, teeth clenched. “I can take care of myself.”

Aubrey sighed. “Okay.” Chloe stood and gathered up the ring of used tissues that had collected around her, stuffing them into the empty ice cream container. She paused a moment, staring down at her hands.

“I’m going to the gym,” she said, giving Aubrey a halfhearted smile as she passed.

* * *

Chloe wipes her hair off of her sweaty forehead and pushes open the door to the locker room. She drops her things on a bench and starts undressing, not caring if anyone sees her. There’s only one other person in the room; Chloe can hear the water running from behind a closed curtain. She sheds the last of her clothing and starts toward a stall in the corner when she hears a melodic voice drift across the room.

_You shout it out, but I can’t hear a word you say_

_I’m talking loud, not saying much._

_I’m criticized, but all your bullets ricochet._

_You shoot me down, but I get up._

Her ears perk up immediately, her stomach tensing. Her fingers flutter excitedly at her sides. She can’t help it. Music makes her body react physically. She’s the kind of girl who can’t just sit still and listen to music. A really good song will have her singing along, dancing like no one’s watching, heart pounding and grinning. And this? This is a really good song.

She shouldn’t.

She really, really shouldn’t.

But Chloe can’t help herself.

Someone is singing her  _lady jam._

She creeps over to the stall and tentatively slides back the curtain partitioning her from the owner of the angelic voice.

She’s surprised by what she finds.

“Beca!” Chloe blurts before she can stop herself, eyes wide. The petite brunette whips around, mouth open and eyes wild.

“ _Oh my God!_ ” she shrieks, shrinking herself back against the tile wall, arms wrapped around her torso and legs crossed. When she sees it’s Chloe, she relaxes slightly. “Chloe, what the hell? You scared the shit out of me.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Chloe stutters, feeling her face flush, willing herself not to stare. “I didn’t know it was you.”

Beca furrows her brow in confusion and Chloe thinks she spots a quick glimmer of hurt in her eyes. “Who were you expecting it to be?”

“Oh, no, I meant I didn’t know who was in here,” Chloe says, holding her hands up and shaking her head.

“So you just walk into people’s showers regularly?”

“No, just you,” Chloe explains, turning redder when she sees a whisper of a smirk on Beca’s face. “I mean, uh—you were singing. I had to see who it was.”

Beca nods slowly, letting her eyes trail briefly down Chloe’s body before quickly averting them. “Okay,” she says, drawing out the word.

“You have a lovely voice,” Chloe says, taking a step towards the brunette.

“Thanks,” Beca says, bending down to readjust the shampoo bottles she had sent skittering across the floor in her surprise. Chloe takes the distraction as an opportunity to admire Beca’s form. Her skin is a delicate porcelain, making her seem almost fragile, interrupted by her tattoos, which Chloe is tempted to reach out and run her fingers over. Beca’s small, but has curves in all of the right places, and a smattering of faint freckles on her shoulders. She can’t break her eyes away, even when Beca rights herself and stares right back. They stand there in silence for a moment, eyes ravishing each other, before they meet each other’s gaze.

“Chloe?” Beca asks softly, absently brushing her fingers across the grasshopper tattoo on the inside of her forearm. “Why are you here?”

Chloe blinks herself out of her daze. “You should join the Bellas.”

“The what?”

“The Bellas,” Chloe repeats. “We’re an a cappella group. You’d be perfect for it.”

Beca snorts. “Is this how you recruit all of your members?”

“Nope.” Chloe laughs. “Just you.”

“Hmm,” Beca hums, equal parts flirtatious and sarcastic. “Then maybe I’ll consider it.” Chloe reaches out to playfully punch Beca on the arm, but the brunette takes a step back.

“Hey,” Beca says playfully, crossing her arms over her chest once more. “Hands off the merchandise. You gotta earn this.”

Chloe feels her stomach twist. She takes another step toward Beca. “And how do I do that?” She feels a strange sense of pride when she sees Beca blush.

“Chloe,” Beca says, looking conflicted. “We shouldn’t.“

“Why not?” Chloe asks, lightly trailing her fingers down Beca’s arm. An unbridled feeling of desire runs through her body. She tightens her grip on Beca’s wrist and inches closer.

Beca looks down at where Chloe’s hand wraps around her arm and swallows. “I don’t think—“

“Don’t think,” Chloe says, and captures Beca’s lips in a kiss. She feels Beca tense momentarily before relaxing, sinking primally into the kiss. Just as Chloe starts to nip at Beca’s bottom lip, the brunette pulls away.

“I’m sorry,” she says, wringing her hands and shaking her head. “I can’t do this.”

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asks quickly, feeling her pulse quicken.

“Look,” Beca says, running a hand through her damp hair. “I like you, Chloe. I do. But I don’t even know you.”

“That can be fixed,” Chloe says hopefully. “How about I take you out tomorrow night?” Beca pauses. Chloe’s anxiety rises with every painfully slow second that ticks by.

“Okay,” she says finally.

Chloe squeals. “I’ll get you at seven.” Beca gives her a smile.

“Great. Now, I  _was_  going to take a shower,” she says, gesturing at the showerhead.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Chloe says, backing out of the stall with a short wave. She’s about to gather her things to take a shower of her own when she remembers something. She pokes her head back into Beca’s stall.

“Back for more?” Beca says exasperatedly, but there’s a smirk on her face. Chloe rolls her eyes.

“No, I just realized I don’t know where you live.”

“Oh,” Beca says. “Baker hall.”

Chloe nods once. “See you at seven.”

* * *

“You look nice.”

Chloe turns away from the bathroom mirror, a tube of mascara in her hands. Aubrey stands behind her, a pencil tucked above her ear and a half-smile on her face.

“Thanks,” Chloe says, smoothing the front of her baby blue blouse. She turns back to the mirror to add the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Are you going somewhere?” Aubrey asks.

“Yeah, I’m taking Beca out,” Chloe says nonchalantly, grimacing when Aubrey’s smile tightens slightly.

“The girl who was sneaking out of our apartment a week ago?”’

Chloe sighs. “That’s the one. We talked yesterday. We’re getting to know each other.”

Aubrey mutters something that sounds an awful lot like “ _You seem to know each other plenty well”._  “What was that?” Chloe asks, turning to face Aubrey and leaning back against the bathroom counter.

Aubrey clears her throat. “Nothing.” There’s a pause. “When did you talk to her?”

“Yesterday. I sort of… ran into her at the gym.”

“Sort of?”

“I heard her singing in the shower. I kind of peeked in to see who it was,” Chloe admits, flushing bright red.

“You did  _what?_ ” Aubrey’s mouth drops open. Chloe winces.  
“It wasn’t my finest moment,” Chloe mutters, turning back to the mirror and running her fingers through her hair. Aubrey puts her hands over her face.

“You’re  _so_ weird,” she groans. She shakes her head, and Chloe can see her try to fight a smile. “Good thing it was Beca and not some stranger armed with a can of mace.”

“Who showers with mace?”

“You never know.”

* * *

Chloe walks across campus to Baker hall with a spring in her step, humming Titanium under her breath. She takes the stairs the second floor and skips down the hallway, but halts when she reaches Beca’s door.

_Knock, Chloe,_  she says to herself, but for some reason can’t bring herself to do it. Her fingers flex anxiously, balling the hem of her jacket in her fist.

She’s nervous.

She’s never been this nervous for a date before.

Usually, Chloe would push open the door without even knocking, grab the girl by the hand, and chatter enthusiastically the whole way to their destination. She’s usually excited. Effervescent.  _Confident._  But Beca has a way of messing with her system that is entirely new to Chloe. Her palms are sweaty and there are anxious butterflies flitting in the pit of her stomach. Doubt runs through her mind: will Beca like where they’re going? Will they have enough to talk about? Is she too dressed up? Does her breath smell like egg? She’s almost ready to fire off an excuse via text message and hide in her apartment when the door swings open to reveal Beca, wearing a grey t-shirt and a raised eyebrow.

“Have you been standing there long?” she asks, taking a step into the hall and shutting the door behind her.

“No,” Chloe says quickly, “I just got here.” Beca gives her a smirk like she doesn’t quite believe her, but squeezes Chloe’s hand once and starts toward the stairs nonetheless.

* * *

“Here we are,” Chloe says, opening the door and tugging Beca in behind her. She’s chosen a small, independent diner about a ten-minute walk from campus. Despite its close proximity, it’s usually quiet—a perfect place to talk. She leads Beca to a booth in the corner, smiling at the woman behind the counter as the pass.

“I’ve never been here before,” Beca says, picking up a menu.

Chloe nods. “It’s kind of a campus secret. Aubrey and I found it last year.”

“Aubrey?” Beca asks, lifting her eyes from the menu to meet Chloe’s.

“My best friend-slash-roommate,” Chloe clarifies, toying with the edge of her paper napkin.

“Oh,” Beca says, pursing her lips. “I think she has a bounty on my head.” Chloe flicks a small piece of the napkin that she’s ripped off at the brunette.

“She does not,” she says, laughing when Beca flicks the paper right back. “She’s just protective.” Beca nods and returns to perusing the menu. There’s a moment of silence before Chloe clears her throat.

“So, what were you doing at a Treblemakers’ party?” she asks.

“This kid I work with at the radio station—Jesse—dragged me there. He has some weird boy-band dream of being in the group,” Beca says, rolling her eyes.

“The Treblemakers are our biggest rivals,” Chloe says, closing her menu with finality. “Do you know what you want?”

“I’m trying to decide between lobster and steak,” Beca deadpans. “And they didn’t give us the wine menu.”

It’s Chloe’s turn to roll her eyes. “The closest thing you’ll get to steak here is a burger.” Beca glances back down at the menu.

“I can deal with that.”

* * *

Chloe’s needn’t have worried about not having anything to talk to Beca about. Conversation flowed easily; they sat talking long after their food was gone and their drinks finished. The diner had almost completely emptied out, and Beca and Chloe had reached a comfortable pause in their conversation, smiling at each other fondly. Every so often their legs brush under the table, and Chloe currently holds Beca’s hand in her own, tracing smooth circles on the soft, fleshy palm.

“What do you say we get out of here?” Chloe suggests, dropping some rumbled dollar bills on the table. Beca nods and stands, their hands still intertwined. Once they’re out on the sidewalk, Beca leans in towards Chloe.

“Kimmy Jin’s not home tonight,” she whispers despite the fact that they are the only ones on the street, her breath hot in Chloe’s ear. She smirks when she feels the redhead’s grasp on her hand tighten ever so slightly. Heat rushes through Chloe’s body and she picks up the pace of her steps so that she’s practically pulling Beca behind her.

“Easy there, tiger,” Beca says, laughing. Wordlessly, Chloe spins to face her and presses their lips together, tangling her hands in Beca’s soft hair, tongue stalking past their joined lips. When they part for air, Chloe can see the want in Beca’s dilated eyes.

“Come on,” Beca says urgently, this time leading Chloe down the street.

* * *

The sun is just beginning to peek in between the blinds on the window when Aubrey hears a rustling outside of her bedroom door. She yawns blearily, shuffling out of bed and poking her head into the hall. She sees Chloe, her back to her, easing the door shut and momentarily shuts her eyes.  _Not again_. Stepping fully outside of her room, Aubrey clears her throat. Chloe whips around, eyes wide in surprise, a startled “ _Shit_ ” falling from her lips.

“Just getting home?” Aubrey asks, stating the obvious.

“Uh, yeah,” Chloe says, running a hand through her hair, which has settled crazily over her shoulders. “I stayed with Beca.”

“Did she have a four AM class or something?” Aubrey asks, the words sounding harsher than she meant to, wincing when she sees the redhead tense. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t what—“

“It’s fine,” Chloe cuts Aubrey off and stalks past her, disappearing into her bedroom and shutting the door forcefully. Sighing, Aubrey approaches Chloe’s door and knocks tentatively.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” comes the muffled reply. She might be imagining things, but Aubrey thinks she hears a sob on the edge of Chloe’s voice.


	3. Chapter 3

Earthquake. An earthquake has struck Barden University. Not a little one—a big, building-collapsing, person-squashing, at-least-a-seven-on-the-Richter-scale earthquake.

“Chloe! Wake  _up_.”

Not an earthquake—Aubrey Posen.

“Mmmfff,” Chloe groans, face buried in her pillow. She flings her arm aimlessly to her right, towards the source of the voice.

“Ow, hey!”

She’s hit her target.

“Chloe,  _now_.” The shaking gets a little more vigorous.

She’s also pissed her target off a bit.

“Okay, okay, I’m up,” Chloe says, sitting up and stretching her arms behind her back. She peers up at Aubrey, who is standing over her with her arms crossed, still looking peeved. “What do you want?”

“Bellas auditions. In two hours,” Aubrey says, tapping her watch for emphasis.

“They’re today?!” Chloe exclaims, eyes widening. “Shit, I forgot!”

Aubrey shakes her head. “We’ve been waiting for this day for  _months_ , Chloe. Are you feeling okay?” Her annoyed expression morphs into one of concern.

“I’m fine,” Chloe says defensively. Aubrey looks unconvinced. She sits on the edge of Chloe’s bed.

“What happened last night?”

* * *

_After stumbling haphazardly up the stairs of Baker hall, Chloe presses Beca against the wall of the hallway next to her dorm room door, sucking on the brunette’s pulse point, settling her hands on her small waist. Beca’s head lolls back and hits the wall with a soft thud, her eyes fluttering shut, one hand finding its way to tangle itself in Chloe’s red waves._

_“Let me just…” Beca gasps out, fumbling with her key in the lock of the door, opening it after a couple of tries. She pulls Chloe inside, kicking the door shut behind them with a definitive slam. Chloe allows herself to be pushed onto the daybed, pulling Beca down with her and kissing her with fervor, tongue stalking past the other girl’s lips. She slips her hand under the hem of Beca’s shirt, relishing in the gasp the cold of her hand elicits from the brunette. She brushes her thumb along the underside of Beca’s bra as Beca trails kisses down to her collarbone, letting out a soft moan when she feels the other girl bite down gently. She’s starting to lift Beca’s shirt up her abdomen when she feels the brunette plant an open-mouth kiss in the dip between her collarbones. Suddenly, she’s hit with a memory so forcefully it makes her stomach knot. At the strangled noise that arises from her throat, Beca ceases her actions and pulls back, looking at her._

_“Chloe?” she says, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?” Chloe tries to answer her, but her voice doesn’t seem to be working, and instead tears well in her eyes and she shuts them angrily, swiping at the ones that escape. She tries to speak again, but all that comes out is something between a cough and a sob, and she feels Beca’s fingers gently brush away the tears that are falling at a quickening rate._

_“Hey,” Beca says, sounding nervous, “what’s wrong?”_

_After a shaky deep breath, Chloe is able to croak out, “Sorry.” She feels Beca wrap her arms around her tentatively, and she squeezes back gratefully, burrowing her head in the crook of the brunette’s neck. They lay in silence for a while, until Chloe’s heart rate slows and her breathing evens out. She can feel Beca watching her, questions dancing behind her steel-blue eyes. She takes another breath and says again, “I’m sorry.”_

_“Don’t apologize,” Beca says, but Chloe can tell she’s waiting for an explanation._

_“My… ex-girlfriend used to always kiss me here,” she says, tapping her index finger on the spot between her collarbones. “It just brought up a lot of bad memories.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Beca says, her eyes so full of concern it makes Chloe’s stomach twist._

_“It’s not your fault,” Chloe says, and squeezes Beca’s hand. “You had no way of knowing.”_

_“Do you…” Beca starts, seeming to search for the right words, “Do you want to do this or…” She trails off again._

_“I do,” Chloe says, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. “I like you. A lot. This is a new, uh, issue for me. I don’t know how to explain it to you. It doesn’t even make sense to me.”_

_Beca is quiet for a moment. “Can you try?” She shifts her position so she’s looking at Chloe, with a look of such compassion Chloe has to close her eyes for a moment to get her bearings._

_“Okay,” she says, one hand toying with the hem of her shirt. She takes another steadying breath. “Her name was Haley. She had a lot of”—she pauses, considering her words—“issues. She wanted us to keep our relationship a secret, because her parents would freak if they found out she was gay.” Beca nods, not saying anything, instead squeezing Chloe’s hand encouragingly. “She wouldn’t kiss me or hold my hand when we were around other people. Heck, she would barely speak to me.”_

_“Then why didn’t you break it off?” Beca asks, her tone one of curiosity, not criticism._

_“When we were alone, she was so sweet. She would tell me about her plans for the future, about her friends back home, or dumb stuff, like something stupid some kid had said in class that day,” Chloe says wistfully, then adds, “when she wasn’t drunk.” Beca looks at her questioningly._

_“She had a habit of showing up at my place when she had had a few too many to drink,” Chloe explains, feeling tears prick at her eyes again. “She would get drunk, and we would sleep together, and then she’d leave.” She’s crying again, and Beca reaches over to her nightstand and presses a box of tissues into Chloe’s hands._

_“She did this often?” Beca asks, her frown deepening when Chloe nods. “And you let her?”_

_“She was broken,” Chloe says, sniffling between words. “I wanted to make her feel loved. I know it sounds stupid, but I loved her.” At this, Beca smiles._

_“You can’t save ‘em all, Chlo,” she says, running a soothing hand through Chloe’s hair._

_“She told me she loved me,” Chloe says in a voice so small Beca has to strain to hear. “And then when we woke up the next morning, she took it back.”_

_“Oh, Chloe,” Beca says, hugging her fiercely, “I’m so sorry.”_

_“Thanks.” Chloe nuzzles in cloer to Beca, breathing in the fruity scent of her shampoo. “I’m sorry, too.”  
“For what?”_

_“Freaking out on you. You must think I’m pretty fucked up,” Chloe says. Suddenly, Beca sits up, looking into Chloe’s eyes._

_“You’re not fucked up. And you don’t ever have to apologize,” she says forcefully. Chloe sighs and shakes her head, wiping away a few stray tears._

_“We barely even know each other and you’re being so nice to me,” she says, eyebrows knit together. “Why?”_

_“Because,” Beca says, shrugging, “Sometimes those who try to fix others are the most broken of us all.”_

* * *

“Nothing,” Chloe says, looking away. “Nothing happened last night.” Aubrey looks at her skeptically, but nods once and exits the room.

* * *

When Beca shows up to the auditions, Chloe’s shocked. And when Beca starts tapping that plastic cup and singing in perfect time with it, she’s absolutely floored. The fact that Beca’s wearing an obnoxiously low-cut shirt didn’t hurt, either. Strangely, Aubrey doesn’t look impressed—she looks like she’s just taken a whiff of something rancid. The second Tommy announces auditions are finally over, the blond swipes her papers into her arms and huffs out of the auditorium, pausing only to ask Chloe, “Are you coming?”

“I’ll catch up with you,” Chloe says, hurriedly walking to the wings of the stage, where Beca was talking to one of the boys who had auditioned for the Treblemakers, looking annoyed.

“Hey,” Chloe says, touching Beca on the arm. The brunette turns around, a relieved smile adorning her face.

“Chloe, hey,” she says a little too enthusiastically, then turns to the boy with a mock-apologetic look on her face. “I have to talk to Chloe about something. I’ll see you at the station, Jesse.” The boy frowns, then nods, and, thankfully, leaves.

“Thank you,” Beca breathes, facing Chloe once more.

“Who’s that?” Chloe asks, watching the boy’s retreating form.

“Jesse. He works at the radio station with me,” Beca says, shaking her head. “He was asking me who would be easier to sleep with, Captain America or a great white shark, and wouldn’t take ‘I’m gay’ as an answer.” Chloe giggles.

“Your audition was amazing,” she says, grinning at Beca’s eye roll. “It was! I didn’t expect you to come.”

“Well, you made such a convincing argument,” Beca says, trailing her eyes suggestively down Chloe’s front and winking.   
“Perv.” Chloe laughs, and Beca snorts.

“Please. I saw you checking me out,” she says, and Chloe shrugs.

“Just admiring the view.” She queezes Beca’s hand once. “Well, I have to go discuss with Aubrey who we’re going to invite to join. But don’t be surprised if I bust into your room tonight.”

“I’ll be expecting you,” Beca says mock-seductively. “See ya.”

* * *

Chloe returns to her apartment to find Aubrey pacing in the living room, looking like she has a million things to do but can’t decide how or where to start, and there’s tension creased between her eyebrows.

“Bree?” Chloe asks, tentatively taking a step towards the blond. “You okay?”

“Yep.” Her tone is pinched and she sits down on the couch, glancing at the information sheets from the potential Bellas, then apparently changing her mind and standing again. The air is—in one word—strained.

“You sure?” Chloe approaches her friend and carefully rests and hand on her shoulder.

“Why did that—your— _Beca_  come to auditions?” Aubrey sputters, looking slightly manic.

“I asked her to come,” Chloe says, frowning. “Is there an issue?”

“Yes, there’s an issue,” Aubrey snaps. Chloe recoils, holding up her hands instinctively. Suddenly, Aubrey deflates and sinks back into the couch. “I’m sorry. I’m just stressed.”

“It’s okay,” Chloe says, sitting next to the blond and running a soothing hand down her back.

“I don’t like how you come home from spending time with that girl,” Aubrey says, looking at Chloe, her mouth drawn. “First I see her sneaking out of here and then you come home crying.”

Chloe shakes her head. “It’s not like that.”  
“Then how is it, Chloe? I’m worried about you.” Aubrey sighs when she feels Chloe stiffen next to her.

“You have nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself,” Chloe says, balling her hands into fists. “And I distinctly remember telling you this before.”

“See? You always get defensive when I talk about her,” Aubrey says, unable to keep her voice from rising.

“Because you’re  _wrong_ ,” Chloe shouts, standing abruptly from the couch. “I shouldn’t have to defend my relationships to you!”

“Relationships?” Aubrey barks out a short, hollow laughs. “I would hardly call your sleeping around a  _relationship_.” The second the words are out of her mouth, her eyes widen. Chloe pales, her mouth dropping open. “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry—“

“No, no,” Chloe cuts her off in an eerily calm voice. “Whatever.”

“Chloe,” Aubrey starts, but Chloe holds up her hand.

“Just let me know who you pick.” She gestures to the papers on the coffee table, then turns on her heel and leaves the room. She storms down the hall to her room and shuts the door with a resounding slam.


	4. Chapter 4

Someone knocks once, twice, three times on Beca’s dorm room door. She quickly checks the time on her phone—5:34—and frowns, wondering who the patron is. She knows it’s not Jesse—he’s having some aca-initiation-night countdown party with his strange roommate (he’s probably a nice guy, Beca thinks, but when she first met him he greeted her with “Greetings, Earthling!)—and Kimmy Jin has her own key. Shrugging, she tugs open the door.

And is met with one Aubrey Posen.

"Hello,” Aubrey says with a crisp nod, as if she had been invited to room 304, Baker Hall.

“Um, hi.” Beca arches an eyebrow and makes no move to let her visitor in.

“I would like to speak with you.”

“That’s what we’re doing, if I’m not mistaken,” Beca says, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling inexplicably defensive.

Aubrey takes a visibly deep breath, which she holds for a long three-count before releasing. “May I come in, please?”

Beca says nothing, but steps back to allow Aubrey entrance. The blond looks around the room for a moment before taking a seat on Beca’s desk chair. Beca plops down onto her bed and tucks her legs underneath her.

“I need to talk to you about Chloe.” Aubrey crosses her legs and folds her hands in her lap primly, but chews anxiously on her lip. Beca makes a sweeping gesture with her hand, as if to say “ _the floor is yours_ ”.

“I’m worried about Chloe,” Aubrey says slowly, choosing her words carefully. “She hasn’t been acting like herself lately. She’s forgetful and irritable and sad. Ever since you two met, she’s been like that.” Beca opens her mouth to protest, but Aubrey holds up her hands. “No, just hear me out. Chloe was acting like nothing was wrong and every time I would bring it—you—” (Beca frowns) “—up, she would get mad. She won’t tell me anything.” Aubrey twists the fabric of her dress in her fingers. “And so I’m here.”

Beca leans back against the shelves behind her bed. “What exactly are you asking me?”

“Chloe is mad at me. She won’t talk to me,” Aubrey confides, dropping her gaze to her lap. “I thought she was angry because I kept telling her you’re causing her problems. That  _she_  was wrong. But I think now that I’m the one who’s wrong.”

Beca smiles to herself, feeling smug. “They do call me The Solution.”

Aubrey looks at her. “They do not.”

“You’re right, I made that up. But they should.”

“Fine, whatever,” Aubrey says, rolling her eyes. “Chloe is fragile, Beca. She puts herself before others, and she’s been hurt a lot. A casual relationship isn’t going to work with her; you can’t just hook up a few times and then change your mind later.”

“I’m figuring that out,” Beca tells her. “I like her, and I want to be with her, but I hardly know her. We’ve only been on one real date.”

“And all the times you slept together,” Aubrey mutters, appearing to be talking more to herself than to Beca.

Beca looks confused. “Did Chloe tell you that we slept together?”

“She didn’t have to,” Aubrey scoffs.

“Well, news flash, Cory Lyman, we haven’t had sex.” Beca shakes her head. “Not that it’s any of your business. No wonder why Chloe’s mad at you.”

Aubrey’s eyes widen. “Shit.” Beca shakes her head exasperatedly. They sit in silence for a few moments, with Beca tapping her fingers against her jean-clad leg and Aubrey looking introspective.

Beca clears her throat. “Chloe told me about Haley.”

“Oh,” Aubrey says. “You look a lot like her, you know.”

“Chloe would freak out every time we went to—you know—” Beca makes a vague gesture with her hands, blushing.

Aubrey holds up a hand. “Spare me the details, please.” She pauses, looking thoughtful for a moment. “People—not just Haley—take advantage of Chloe because she’s so giving. Hell, she’d probably give her arm to someone if they needed it.”

“Good to know,” Beca says, and Aubrey rolls her eyes.

“I think Chloe’s so used to being used that she’s developed some major trust issues.” The blond’s phone beeps, and she taps something out on the screen.

“I’m not looking to use her,” Beca says, shaking her head for emphasis.

Aubrey looks up. “Then prove it to her.” She slides off of the chair and grabs her bag. “I have to go. Don’t be alarmed if someone busts in here and kidnaps you in the middle of the night.”

“That’s like the epitome of alarming!” Beca calls after Aubrey’s retreating form as the door slams shut.

* * *

When Aubrey returns to her apartment, Chloe is sitting on the couch watching Dance Moms and nursing a bottle of Bud Lite. She stiffens visibly as Aubrey timidly approaches.

“Hi,” Aubrey says cautiously, placing a package of Reese’s peanut butter cups on the coffee table. “I got you these. As an, um, peace offering.”

“Thanks,” Chloe replies quietly, grabbing the remote and muting the TV. She looks up at Aubrey expectantly.

“I believe an apology is in order.” Aubrey lowers herself down onto the couch next to Chloe, careful to still give the girl some space. “I was an enormous ass and I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Chloe simply nods and opens the candy.

A moment of silence.

“Okay then,” Aubrey says, clapping her hands together once. “We need to decide whom we’re admitting into the Bellas.”

“Cynthia Rose, definitely.” Chloe looks up at Aubrey, who nods, and scrawls the name onto a piece of paper.

Aubrey rifles through the information sheets from the audition. “Jessica, Ashley and… Denise. Yes?”

“Okay, what about Stacie?” Chloe chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“The groping is a bit… much, but we can work with it,” Aubrey agrees, giving her friend a small smile.

“Fat Amy?”

“Why not?” Aubrey reaches over and grabs a swig of Chloe’s beer. “What about Lilly? Did she even sing?”

Chloe shrugs. “It doesn’t matter whether she can sing. No one’ll hear her either way.”

“Good point.”

After jotting down Lilly’s name, Chloe puts down the pen but keeps her gaze trained on the paper. “Now all that’s left is Beca,” she says, curling her toes in an anxious tic.

“Sounds good,” is all Aubrey says. Then she gives Chloe a smile. It’s a little tight, but it’s genuine.

Once Aubrey leaves the room, Chloe lets out an excited, high-pitched squeal.

Halfway down the hall, Aubrey smiles to herself.

* * *

Beca is sound asleep when Chloe breaks into her room to retrieve her for initiation. Chloe lingers for a moment, watching Beca’s blissful, slumbering face. She’s still dressed in the clothes she was wearing during the day, her boots discarded haphazardly by the bed.

“Beca,” Chloe whispers, gently shaking her shoulders. “Wake up.”

“No,” Beca mutters, burrowing into her pillow.  _Adorable_ , Chloe thinks, nudging the girl harder.

Beca’s eyes flutter open. “Chloe? How the hell did you get in here?”

Chloe’s blush is masked by the darkness. “I picked the lock,” she says sheepishly.

“You picked the lock?” Beca repeats in disbelief.

“It’s not important. It’s time for Bellas initiation.” Beca reluctantly sits up and starts stuffing her feet into her boots, grumbling something about personal boundaries and career criminals.

As Chloe goes to ease the door back open, the lights suddenly snap on. She and Beca whirl around to see a disgruntled-looking Kimmy Jin with her hand on the lamp switch. “It’s after midnight,” she says flatly.

Beca makes a show of looking at her watch. “Oh, my bad. My watch must be wrong. Thanks!”

She grabs Chloe’s hand and hauls her out the door and down the stairs as quickly as she can.

* * *

“So, that thing about the vocal chords being ripped out by wolves,” Beca says to Chloe as they make their way from the Bellas practice space to the amphitheater, “how serious are you about that?”

“I thought you were gay?” Chloe asks slowly, looking at Beca strangely.

“Oh, I am,” Beca says reassuringly. “Believe me. But there’s always that chance for a margin of error…”

“I’ll tell Aubrey to keep them on their leashes.” Chloe winks flirtatiously at Beca. “I’m gonna get a drink. You want anything?”

“No, thanks. I’m good.” Chloe gives Beca a pouty face, but the brunette just shakes her head again. “Go party. Have fun.”

“Fine. This ginger needs her jiggle juice!” Chloe slaps herself on the ass and sashays away just as Jesse approaches.

“Damn,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “Have you tapped that yet?”

Beca gives him a shove. “None of your business, perv.”

Jesse gives her a once-over. “Do my eyes deceive me, or are you a Barden Bella?”

“I know, it’s weird,” Beca says, wrinkling her nose. “I feel like I just joined the Family. Of a capella.”

“They made you an offer you couldn’t refuse?” Jesse asks in a raspy voice. When Beca stares at him blankly, he just shakes his head, disappointed. “Nevermind.”

“Where’s Houdini?” Beca peers around Jesse in search of Benji.

Jesse shrugs. “He got cut, I guess.”

“That’s too bad—”

“Beca!”

Beca turns around to be greeted by a sufficiently tipsy Chloe. “Hi there.”

Chloe tugs Beca closer by the hand and leans in to whisper in her ear: “Let’s go back to my place.”

Beca shivers, but gently pries her hand out of Chloe’s. She turns to see Jesse watching them, wide-eyed. “Could you go… like, away?” she asks him, gesturing with her head. He gives Beca a two-finger salute in return and hops down the steps.

Chloe’s hand starts drifting up her jacket and Beca grabs it, stopping it from traveling further north. “Chloe, maybe we should get you home.”

Chloe places a line of kisses down her neck. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

By the time the two reach Chloe’s apartment, Beca is exhausted from trying to fend off Chloe’s advances. For a few nerve-wracking minutes, she’d been sure Chloe was going to jump her against the brick wall of an alleyway. She fumbles with the key (confiscated from Chloe) in the lock for a moment before pushing the door open with a sigh of relief.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Beca says, blindly reaching for the light switch on the wall.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Chloe breathes seductively into Beca’s ear. She slides her hands into the shorter girl’s back pockets.

Beca finally locates the switch and the hall floods with light. “No, actually  _go_  to bed. As in sleeping.”

Chloe casts her a  _you can’t be serious_ look. When Beca levels her gaze, she frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Beca says, kicking off her shoes. She tugs at Chloe’s hand, trying to lead her to the bedroom. “C'mon.”

But Chloe pulls back. “What? Am I suddenly not good enough for you?” Her tone is venomous but her eyes soft and fearful.

“What? No! Of course not,” Beca insists.

“Because you seemed good and ready to fuck me until you realized how messed up I am,” Chloe spits.

For a moment, Beca freezes, unsure of what to do. She grasps Chloe’s hands, and the other girl doesn’t pull away. “I realized that I want more than just sex with you, Chloe. I like you and I want to get to know you.”

Chloe stares at her, looking momentarily stunned. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Beca says earnestly. “And then maybe sex afterward.”

One corner of Chloe’s mouth turns up. She shakes her head and laughs lightly. “You’re something else.”

“I try. Now can we go to bed?” Beca asks, slipping an arm around Chloe’s waist.

Chloe pretends to mull the thought over. “Depends. Can we cuddle?”

“Fine, but if you tell anyone I will break your thumbs.”

“Sheesh,” Chloe says, giving Beca a look. “Now who’s the career criminal?”

* * *

Aubrey is wake, dressed, and eating breakfast when Beca wanders into the kitchen.

“Did you spend the night?” she asks, pushing aside her bowl of cereal.

“Food,” is all Beca gives in response. She starts rummaging around in the refrigerator as Aubrey looks on with one eyebrow raised.

“By all means, make yourself at home…” she mutters.

“Aha!” Beca emerges triumphantly clutching a bagel in one hand and cream cheese in the other.

“I’m only allowing you to rampage my kitchen because you took Chloe home last night,” Aubrey says as Beca retrieves a plate from a cabinet.

“Yeah, Chloe tried to get in my pants last night and kinda freaked when I said no,” Beca tells the blond as she spreads cream cheese on the bagel.

Aubrey closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Nope, didn’t want to know that.”

“She thought that I was trying to dump her or something,” Beca continues, mumbling around a mouthful of bagel. “Not that we’re, like, in a relationship or anything.”

Aubrey cocks her head to the side. “Do you want to be?”

Just as Beca opens her mouth to reply (and shove in more bagel), Chloe appears in the doorway. “Good morning,” she yawns, holding her head in her hands. “Where’s the Advil?”

“Top shelf.” Aubrey points to a cabinet.

As Chloe walks across the kitchen to retrieve the bottle, she seems to notice Beca’s presence for the first time. “Oh, you’re still here.” Beca glances at Chloe, looking unsure.

“Good,” Chloe adds, pecking Beca on the cheek.

Beca blushes. Aubrey covers her eyes dramatically.

* * *

“Fuck cardio,” Beca grumbles to herself as she kicks off her sneakers and falls full-force facedown on her bed. “Fuck a capella.” She’d just come back after a grueling three-hour Bellas practice and her feet and back are seriously protesting.

“Can you not talk to yourself?” Kimmy Jin says from across the room. “It’s annoying. Like you.”

Beca lifts her face out of her pillow. “I’m dying.”

Kimmy Jin frowns. “Everyone’s dying,” she says, then gathers her books and promptly leaves the room.

Fifteen minutes later, someone knocks at the door.

“Who is it?” Beca shouts, not willing to get up from her position.

“It’s Chloe,” comes the muffled reply.

“Come in.”

The knob jiggles. “It’s locked.”

“Can’t you just pick the lock?”

“Beca, please just let me in.”

With great effort, Beca stands and opens the door. “What? You don’t pick locks in broad daylight?”

Chloe whacks her lightly on the shoulder. “I don’t have any bobby pins with me.”

“Oh, silly me.” Beca pretends to smack herself on the forehead. “What’s up?”

“You left these at practice.” Chloe reaches into her bag and withdraws Beca’s headphones.

Beca’s eyes widen as she accepts them. “Shit. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. And about last night…” Chloe fidgets with the strap of her bag. “I’m sorry for acting like a psycho.”

“It’s okay."  _It’s not your fault_ , she adds silently.

Chloe smiles. "See you tomorrow.”

Just as she turns to leave, an idea hits Beca. She grabs Chloe’s hand. “Wait.”

There’s a pause. “…Yes?” Chloe asks, eyebrows raised.

“I want to take you out.” The words come out in a nervous rush, so it takes Chloe a moment to piece them together.

“Like, on a date?” (It’s kind of cute seeing Beca squirm. So sue her.)

“No, like a hitman. Yes, like a date,” Beca says, wringing her hands anxiously.

Chloe pretends to think for a moment. “Okay.”

“Grool,” Beca says. Then she winces. “I meant to say cool and then I started to say great.”

“Sure you did,” Chloe tells her, chuckling. “Tomorrow at eight?”

Beca nods, not trusting herself to speak.

“Grool.” Chloe winks and saunters off down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

As Aubrey walks out of her Critical Race Theory class, she spots Beca lingering outside the door.

“Hi,” she says, eyeing Beca suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to ask you a personal question. About Chloe.” Beca gestures for Aubrey to follow her to a more secluded alcove.

Aubrey’s eyes grow wide. “No, you need to talk to your doctor,” she says, holding up her hands.

Beca not-so-lightly punches her in the arm. “Ew, Aubrey! Not  _that_  kind of question.”

“Oh.” The blond looks relieved. “Then what is it?” she asks, absently rubbing at her shoulder.

“Do you think you could give me a list of all the people who’ve screwed Chloe over?”

For a moment, Aubrey’s jaw hangs completely slack. “Um,” she says, “ _why_?”

“Please? I’m not going to do anything bad with them.”

“You’re not going to go out and start killing them, are you?” Aubrey looks at Beca as if the smaller girl may actually be packing.

Beca pauses, considering. “Are you saying you’re opposed to that?”

“No,” Aubrey says, starting to scribble on a piece of notebook paper. “But I’m giving you first names only, just in case. I don’t want to be arrested for abetting.” She tears off the page and holds it out to the other girl.

Beca snatches it before Aubrey can change her mind. “Thank you!”

Aubrey shakes her head as she watches the brunette’s retreating form.

* * *

At promptly 8:00 (she actually took care to be on time for the first time in her life) Beca knocks on the door of Chloe’s apartment. After a few seconds of silence, she knocks again.

Silence.

Just as she raises her hand to knock for a third time, the door swings open, Beca’s fist nearly colliding with Chloe’s face.

“Whoa!” The redhead takes a step back.

Beca jams the hand into her pocket, blushing. “Sorry.”

The two make their way down the stairs, with Beca leading the way. “Where are we going?” Chloe asks, recognizing that they are making their way back to campus.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Beca jokes.

“You do realize that at some point you will have to tell me at some point, though, right?”

Beca mimes pulling a gun out of her sweatshirt pocket. “Then I guess I’ll just kill you now.”

“Oh, please don’t,” Chloe begs dramatically. Then she leans in and whispers in Beca’s ear, “I’ll do anything you want.”

Beca curls her toes inside her shoes and closes her eyes. “Chloe.”

“Sorry,” Chloe says, but she’s smirking.

After a few more minutes, they arrive at their destination: the Initiation Night amphitheater. Specifically, in front of a small pile of logs and twigs at its base.

“Ta-da!” Beca strikes a pose—complete with jazz hands—theatrically.

Chloe’s eyes flick from the woodpile to Beca and back again, eyebrows raised. “I feel like I’m missing the punchline.”

Beca’s eyes glint mischievously. “How do you make a cat go ‘woof’?”

“I don’t know.”

The brunette reaches into her pocket and pulls out a lighter. “Soak it in petrol and set it on fire.” She carefully lights a few strategically-placed twigs until the logs begin to burn on their own.

Chloe shakes her head, pursing her lips, trying not to laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“Hey, ouch, Beale,” Beca says, feigning offense. “Let’s not forget who has the lighter here. And the food.” She reaches behind one of the bleacher seats and emerges brandishing a shopping bag. When she opens it, Chloe can see several takeout containers and two liters of Diet Sprite—her favorite. She laughs and pulls Beca in close.

“This is almost romantic,” she says with a wink.

Beca studies her for a moment before placing her hand on the back of Chloe’s head and pulling her in for a firm kiss. Chloe opens her mouth reflexively, melting into the kiss as Beca nips at her bottom lip and rakes her fingers through Chloe’s hair. Eventually, they break apart in favor of breathing.

“How's  _that_  for almost romantic?” Beca asks, looking a little smug as Chloe catches her breath.

“A little better,” she jokingly acquiesces, pushing a lock of stray hair out of Beca’s eyes.

The smaller girl rolls her eyes and retrieves the food from the bag. “I got Chinese,” she says, handing Chloe a pair of chopsticks. She glances around before stage-whispering, “I have forks, too. But don’t tell anyone.” Chloe mimes zipping her lips before opening the container.

The small fire starts to gain momentum, illuminating their faces and fending off the chilly October air, and Chloe shifts closer to Beca, momentarily resting her head on the brunette’s shoulder.

“Are we going to get in trouble for this?” Chloe asks, gesturing to the fire with a chopstick.

Beca shrugs against the weight of Chloe’s head. “We didn’t get in trouble for having an obnoxiously loud party in the middle of the night. Complete with underage drinking.”

“Good point.”

Beca waits until Chloe puts down her food to take a swig of the Sprite (from the bottle) before pulling several small pieces of paper out of her sweatshirt pocket. She shuffles them nervously until Chloe is unoccupied. Beca takes a breath. “Chloe, I want to talk about something serious.”

The redhead’s eyebrows shoot up. “ _You_  want to talk about something serious,” she repeats skeptically.

Beca nods. She thinks for a moment before she starts speaking. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, especially since the other night—”

“I’m really sorr—”

“No no no, it’s fine, this isn’t bad,” Beca reassures, grasping Chloe’s hand. “I’ve been thinking about how people haven’t always treated you the way you deserve, because you’re so nice. And how much that’s hurt you.”

Chloe doesn’t say anything, but blinks rapidly a few times, as if trying to keep away tears.

“When I was thirteen,” Beca continues, “my dad left my mom and me for some bitch. My mom made me go to therapy—most of which I thought was bullshit—for a while because I was so angry. I had terrible trust issues. My grades were slipping and I was always yelling at people and breaking shit and I was blaming it on my dad. Like, if he were here to help me with my English homework maybe I’d have better grades.” She pauses, feeling that she’s rambling, twisting the material of her sweatshirt in her fist. “But there was one thing that my therapist told me that was actually useful. I kept telling her that I wanted nothing to do with my dad, and she said that as long as I stayed so angry, fucking up my life, that my dad would keep screwing me over for the rest of my life. Metaphorically. And that I needed to let it go.”

Chloe nods, still holding Beca’s hand tightly. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Beca stands and motions for Chloe to do the same. She hands the redhead the scraps of paper, who scans them, a tear spilling down her cheek.

_Alyssa_

_Sarah_

_Haley_

There are at least a dozen. Chloe looks up, a questioning expression on her face.

“Let it go,” Beca says, gesturing to the fire. “Burn those bitches because they do not own you anymore.”

One by one, Chloe feeds the papers to the fire. When she’s done, she pulls Beca into a tight embrace, crying properly by now. “Thank you,” she whispers, smiling into Beca’s hair.

“One more thing,” Beca says as they part. Chloe gives a wary laugh, drying her eyes on her sleeve. “Chloe,” Beca starts, sinking down to one knee. The redhead’s eyes go wide. “Will you be my girlfriend?” she pulls a Ring Pop out of her pocket.

Chloe claps a hand over her heart. “I thought you were proposing marriage, you dumbass! I was ready to have a heart attack.”

“You know, you’re really not starting this relationship off on the right foot,” Beca deadpans.

“Sorry. Of course I will.” Chloe makes a big show of holding out her hand as Beca slides the candy onto her finger (but only after wrestling with the packaging for a moment).

“I have one more thing for you,” Beca says, rummaging in the bag. She pulls out a portable DVD player (no way she was leaving her laptop out unattended even for a few minutes), copy of  _50 First Dates_ , and a blanket.

Chloe squeals and claps her hands, pulling Beca into a short but passionate kiss before helping to spread out the blanket. They huddle together, backs against the bleacher bench, the DVD player balanced on Beca’s lap.

“I thought you didn’t like movies,” Chloe says, slinging a leg over Beca’s.

“This is on loan from Jesse,” Beca says, knocking on the player. “And so is the movie.”

“You’re so cute,” Chloe tells her, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

“I’m going to let that one go because you’ve had an emotionally tumultuous evening.”

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Shut up and watch the movie.”

Beca’s response is to start alternately kissing and nipping at the side of Chloe’s neck. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Chloe breathes out, eyes fluttering, “watch the movie.”

The brunette straddles Chloe’s lap, pressing her forehead against Chloe’s, so close the other girl can feel the warmth of Beca’s breath. “What? I wasn’t paying attention.”

“You’re incorrigible,” Chloe groans, placing her hands on Beca’s hips. “I thought the whole point was that you weren’t using me to get into my pants.”

“I always want to get in your pants,” Beca says, running her thumb over one of the marks she left on Chloe’s neck. “But I also respect you intellectually.”

Chloe snorts. “Okay, Ring Pop lady. Let’s talk about intellect.”

“Don’t make me revoke the Ring Pop.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She pulls Beca down into another kiss. “Now get off me. We’re watching a movie and cuddling.”

Reluctantly, Beca rolls off of Chloe’s lap and resettles back next to her. “You’re no fun.”

“I’m very fun. You’ll find out soon enough,” Chloe says, absently stroking Beca’s hair. “Now hush.”

Beca frowns but snuggles in closer to her girlfriend. ( _My_   _girlfriend_ , Beca thinks with a touch of pride.) They watch in a comfortable silence for a while, before she feels Chloe shift next to her.

“Beca?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

Beca squeezes her arms around Chloe a little tighter. “Anytime.”

* * *

It’s 11:24 pm when Chloe waltzes in the door of the apartment. Aubrey looks up from her position on the couch taking notes. “Hey, you’re home kinda early.”

Chloe shrugs. “We ate and watched a movie. Beca built a small bonfire at the amphitheater.”

“Can she do that?” Aubrey asks, frowning.

“I guess. I mean, people do all kinds of shit all over campus that they probably should get in trouble for but no one ever seems to be paying attention.”

Aubrey pauses, considering. “Yeah I have noticed that. Is that all you guys did?”

With a soft  _thump_  Chloe drops onto the couch next to Aubrey, pulling her knees to her chest. “Beca told me how when her dad left she harbored all this anger until she realized she needed to let it go. Like, even though he was gone he was still influencing her negatively.”

Aubrey nods, putting down her pen and massaging her writing hand.

“She said how I’m kind of doing the same thing about Haley and the other people,” Chloe continues. “And that I need to let them go. So she had me put pieces of paper with their names into the fire.”

“Sounds very… spiritual,” Aubrey says.

“I’d call it more symbolic,” Chloe tells her. “But I think it might help, at least a little.”

Aubrey picks up her pen and taps it against her textbook. “Why didn’t you tell me you guys hadn’t slept together?”

Chloe freezes. “Who told you that?”

“Beca. I went over before Hood Night to apologize for being an enormous asshat.”

“Oh.” Chloe finds a protruding thread on her shirt suddenly interesting. When she looks up, Aubrey is looking at her, eyebrows raised expectantly. “Well, if you must know, it’s because whenever we tried I just couldn’t do it. And being fucked up isn’t exactly something I’m proud of.” She sniffles a little and blows out a long breath.

“You’re not fucked up,” Aubrey says, resting her hand on the other girl’s knee.

“Please, we both know I am. But I’m working on it. And I’m going to get better,” Chloe says, smiling a little. “Because I have a girlfriend and a best friend who care about me.”

Aubrey’s eyes widen. “ _Girlfriend_?” she exclaims. “Shut up!”

“She proposed with a Ring Pop,” Chloe admits, laughing. “She’s going to hate me for telling you that, though.”

“It’ll be our secret.” Aubrey reaches over and squeezes Chloe’s hand. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Chloe says softly. She stands and stretches her arms over her head with a mighty yawn. “I’m going to bed. G'night.”

“Good night,” Aubrey calls after her as she leaves the room. She laughs to herself at the mental image of Beca down on one knee, presenting a Ring Pop to a shocked and flustered Chloe. Then she shakes her head and resumes taking notes.

* * *

_Two months later_

A knock sounds at Beca’s door.

She glances at her watch and smiles, shaking her head.  _Fashionably late as always_ , she thinks as she opens the door.

“Hey, Chlo—” She’s cut off abruptly as Chloe storms into the room and pins her against the wall, kicking the door shut behind her.

“Hi,” Chloe growls as she kisses Beca with fervor, her tongue stalking past the other girl’s lips, before moving to her neck, leaving a trail of small bruises as she goes.

Beca’s brain short-circuits, and all she can think to do is yank Chloe’s shirt over her head and do the same for herself, tangling her hands in Chloe red tresses as the redhead leaves a series of gentle bites along her collarbone before moving to unbutton Beca’s jeans.

“Whoa, whoa, hey,” Beca gasps out, grasping Chloe’s wrist and effectively stilling her hand from travleing any further.

“It’s fine,” Chloe says, shaking her hair out of her face. “I want to.”

“Are you sure?” Beca asks skeptically.

“Totally sure,” Chloe confirms with a nod of her head.

“One hundred percent completely sure?”

“ _Yes_.”

Beca smirks and lets go of Chloe’s wrist. “Well alright then.”


End file.
